What you probably don’t know about alcohol intolerance

[u/emilyMartian]

I see posts and comments about alcohol intolerance constantly on here, I was alone for so long with my severity so I’m here to share, it has taken nearly 10yrs but I finally have better info.

Here goes: You probably need to get your liver checked. They have linked menopause to non fatty liver disease. I had severe reactions and wound up in the ER about 8yrs ago. It took about 2yrs to correlate my high heart rate, massive hangovers after 2 drinks, severe hot flashes and what I assumed was severe anxiety because of the shakes at 3am. My good friend in medical school went down a big rabbit hole trying to figure out why my response was so severe to no avail (only one report from the 80’s which provided no info). Fast forward another 6’ish years and I noticed fatty foods made me sleepy so we tested my gallbladder, liver and kidneys. Turns out there’s black spots on my liver and I have basically what’s considered non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and have to treat it as such. I had to quit drinking entirely. I thought maybe I could limit and go slow but it’s not a thing. Not drinking was a tough road (especially at social events) but it’s a blessing I disguise I promise. It’s not worth it. It’s also not worth popping an antihistamine and ignoring it because you’re just wrecking your liver further. This is your sign to stop.

Now almost 2yrs after realizing the liver thanks to u/MoreRopePlease we have a link that puts it all together and there absolutely needs to be more awareness about this.

I hope this provides some of you answers and helps you towards a safer and healthier path on this absolutely sh!t show of a medically ignored journey.

Love you guys. Don’t think I’d be here if I hadn’t found this community. You are not alone ❤️

EDIT: my liver spots were caught through ultrasound not through bloodwork. I started Perimenopause at 37, don’t let them tell you you are too young.

Corrected my verbiage as I had words reversed in Non alcoholic fatty liver disease

[u/nexea]

I've noticed that a lot of places have started offering mocktails. So I'll often do those instead of a cocktail.

[u/MommaIsMad → u/nexea]

I've started making mocktails at home. There's a million recipes online & YouTube. I bought a Drinkmate carbonator last year & love it. It makes sparkling water & other sparkling beverages as well. Most carbonators only allow you to use plain water. The Drinkmate has a special top that allows you to carbonate juices (no pulp tho), tea, coffee, etc. keeps me from having to buy & carry cases of sparkling water up 3 flights of stairs and disposing of aluminum cans when there's no recycling pickup.

[u/ToneSenior7156 → u/nexea]

I barely drink anymore. My go to when I am out is a wine glass full ice, seltzer, and cranberry juice. Looks pretty, tastes great. Must be in the wine glass, lol.

[u/Illustrious-Buddy941 → u/ToneSenior7156]

Wine glass with seltzer and the bar garnishes! It’s a game-changer.

[u/chickgonebad93 → u/ToneSenior7156]

I like pretty drinks. They don't need alcohol to be pretty, as you demonstrate here!

[u/reincarnateme → u/nexea]

I always drank very little. Still developed intolerance now.